Timeline of Air Travel

Throughout the 20th century, America underwent several amazingly important and impressive advancements in all aspects of mechanics and machinery. In the brief span of 100 years, mankind underwent a technological revolution: suddenly the problems men had struggled with since the beginning of time could be solved easily by a computer program. Nothing exemplifies the industrial transformation of the 20th century better than aviation. In the blink of an eye, men not only took to the skies but also broke seemingly every boundary there was - making flying not only feasible, but also safe and ordinary.


     1903 – Wilber and Orville Wright created and piloted the first controlled aircraft in Kitty Hawk, giving a jumpstart to the entire evolution of air travel.

     1909 – Louise Blériot piloted the first flight across the English Channel, proving that airplanes could be a reliable method of travel over oceans, but also striking fear into many people of the possible power of the airplane as a military weapon.

First Flight in Kitty Hawk, 1903

    1910 - Henri Fabre makes the first seaplane flight with a small plane attached to floating wooden boards. It flies only a short time and crashes a few months later, but alerts the world to a new aspect of flying.

    1911 – Harriet Quimby became the first licensed female American pilot, making air travel an official American frontier, one that could sustain revolutions and rebellions.

    1913 – Called “The Glorious Year of Flying” because of all the aerobatics performed in planes. The pilots made full use of the maneuverability of aircrafts by flying them upside down and doing loop-the-loops. There were large cash prizes presented to winners of races and other contests. 1913 and the hay day of flying also attracted more serious pilots who pushed the boundaries of flight- going further and faster than ever before.

    1914 – Tony Jannus conducted the first scheduled commercial flight, which went from St. Petersburg, Florida to Tampa, Florida. This began the business of commercial flying, which grew steadily but slowly until after WWII, at which point the better economy and amount of military pilots from the war made an immense change in the supply and demand of commercial planes and pilots.

    1916 – Glenn H. Curtiss began his own airplane company and began supplying large amounts of planes to the military during WWI meant to be used as weapons, introducing for the first time the idea of fighter planes was made possible and easily available.

    1918 – Airmail postal service was introduced by the US Postal Service, proving to America how far technology had come. It also revolutionized the post industry, showing just how much air travel could benefit the day to day lives of the average American.

Charles Lindbergh with his plane, 1927

    1919 – Glenn H. Curtiss flies a seaplane across the Atlantic with several stops on the water in 1919, becoming the first pilot to make a transatlantic flight. Curtiss was one of the most successful aircraft engineers in the early decades of flight.

    1927 – Charles Lindbergh piloted the first flight from New York to Paris, and continues to hold the record for the longest open sea flight. This resulted in a huge splash not only in the technological community but also in the general population. This young, handsome man showed America just how exciting men taking to the skies could be.

    1933 – Arthur Raymond created the first twin engine plane, bringing a new level of safety and security to flying. It was this milestone that taught the general population that air travel wasn’t just for strapping young daredevils anymore – it could be a convenient way for a whole family to get from point A to point B.

    1947 – American pilot Charles Yeager created the first plane which could travel faster than the speed of sound. This revolutionary flight, more than any before it, opened the nation’s eyes to just how amazing flight was evolving to be.

    1949 – Capt. James Gallagher recorded the first non-stop flight around the world. He and a group of thirteen men proved once and for all that the sky was no longer the limit. It became clear to the world at that moment nothing was impossible on this world: we could go anywhere we set our sights on.

    1976 – The first regular scheduled supersonic transport flights began, bringing the world into an age where the average man could travel faster than the speed of sound. It was hard for many Americans to adjust to just what American technology had come to.

    1986 – The first flight around the world without refueling was piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. It was now clearer than ever just how unlimited mankind was.

    1988 – The first bomb dropped by a female fighter pilot was launched by Kendra Williams as she and her comrades bombed enemy targets in Iraq during Operation Desert Fox. This showed the world what a universally acknowledged weapon aircrafts had become.